Dimesland: Creepmoon EP

Abstract/Art Metal

3.0/5.0

Coming from Oakland, California, just one hub of West Coast political liberalism and cultural strangeness, is Dimesland, a self-defined abstract metal band. They debut with their Creepmoon EP of six songs (using this term loosely) on the small Vendlus Records label.

Above, Dimesland: they suck at hide and seek.

Mostly, Dimesland and Creepmoon consists of massive amounts of riffage, usually thrash-ish in nature, then juxtaposed against frantic blasting drums and thumping bass. Where there's vocals their raw and minimal. The arrangements shift here and there, sideways, and otherwise with peculiar time signatures. Sometimes there's esoteric eeriness to the piece as on Degradation Suite. Sometimes, you might think you hear some psychedelic influences. After all Oakland is across the bay from San Francisco.

Creepmoon is neither traditional or progressive metal. It's more an experimental animal: abstract and abstruse, possibly too recondite for some. It makes you speculate if the compositions can actually be written down. Also, I wonder how this stuff translates to a live context? Since I have no other artist (maybe Random Touch) or object to make comparison, I'll simply be ambivalent and give this an average grade.

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